Delightful
and beautifully illustrated tale is written in rhyme, which is very easy on
children’s ears. (Review by Beverley Millar)
The Wild Fluffalump, A Bedtime story is a delightful tale about a baby elephant that falls asleep one night
under a Cotton Wool Tree, where Leopard’s small child was playing. While
bouncing, and leaping in the tree, he knocks the seeds down and they create a
snowstorm of fluff. The baby elephant wakes up looking like a large fluffy
white ball.
The
story follows him as he travels the African savannah and encounters various
African animals, including a group of meerkats, a buffalo, an eagle, lions,
hyenas, giraffe and many more. All the animals poke, prod, push and judge him
as they try and work out what animal he is. The crocodile then decided to take
a small little bite which made the Fluffalump
trumpet. An Elephant hears this and picks up Fluffalump, takes him to the river and washes all the cotton wool
off. Fluffalump then realises he is Elephant’s child.
The
story is written in rhyme, which is very easy on children’s ears. It also
offers the opportunity for parents to initiate discussions about the various
animals thereby passing on important information. The overall message given is that no-one
should judge others by appearance alone.
The Wild Fluffalump was written by Bruce Hobson
using the pen name Mwenye Hadithi (meaning ‘story teller’ in Swahili). It is
beautifully illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway.
Hobson
was born in Nairobi, and grew up in a house with a garden that was regularly
visited by wild animals which included gazelles, porcupines, warthogs, and a
hippopotamus that got stuck in the garden gate. He went to Rugby School in
England and studied foreign literature and London University. All of this, and
the traditional oral African stories, inspired him to write stories from
Africa.
Kennaway
spent most of her formative years in Kenya where she became interested in
wildlife. She studied at Ealing Art College and L’Academie Bella Arte in Rome.
She has illustrated over 30 children’s books. Her vivid watercolour
illustrations for Hadithi’s Crafty
Chameleon won her the CLIP Kate Greenaway Medal in 1987. Her illustrations
in The Wild Fluffalump capture the
colours and atmosphere of the African plains perfectly. And her animals are
filled with character and charm. They are most endearing and are sure to appeal
to young readers.
The Wild Fluffalump is published by Jacana Media and
is also available in Afrikaans, IsiXhosa and isiZulu. ISBN 978-1-4314-2385-9. Recommended
Retail price R120. – Beverley Millar
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